How did this happen?
by montez
Summary: Missing scene to '5th man' I think we needed something between Don lying on the ground and the Eppes family showing up at the hospital, so this my attempt at that missing scene. NOTICE! added a short part 2: Don's thoughts.
1. Chapter 1

How did this happen?

By Montez

Disclaimer: Never owned, never will

Summary: This is a tag to the episode '5th Man'. It's my missing scene between Don getting stabbed and Alan, Charlie and Amita arriving at the hospital. I would have loved to see what happened during that time so this is what I think could have played out. Hope you enjoy.

"Uzi's, Kevlar these guys weren't messing around" Nikki said breathlessly as she checked the injured owner of the home.

"Yeah, I'll call it in." Don turned; opening his phone, hitting the speed dial to dispatch, but before the connection was made he heard a noise behind him. As he turned Don's eyes widen in surprise at the fact it was a tall figure that was right in front of him and not Nikki, whom he had expected. He had no time to react as he felt the searing pain enter his body just below where the Kevlar vest met the top of his black jeans. He had been shot at, beat up, but never stabbed, it instantly took his breath as he dropped to the ground, the attacker running into the darkness. For a moment his mind flashed to Nikki, '_where is she? Is she alright?'_ before the blinding pain coursed through his body, this time literally taking his breath.

She had always thought 'seeing stars' was just an expression, but as she rolled over to her hands and knees Nikki knew that there was truth to the words. Her hand automatically went to the back of her head as she felt the warmth that shouldn't be there, _'Damn it',___she thought as she saw the red stain on her finger tips. It took a moment for her to realize the silence around her, '_where is Don?' _"Don?" she called out, the sound echoing in her aching head.

"Don? Nikki? You guys okay?" David's voice came over the ear piece as she whenced at the loudness.

Slowly Nikki turned her head in the direction that she had last seen her boss, all dizziness seemed to clear as she took in the motionless form of Don Eppes. "Don!" she quickly crawled to his side, still not getting any response, "Don!" she called again, instinctively reaching for his neck. Don's pulse was thready and she quickly noticed his breathing was labored. Nikki pulled his jacket open, knowing if he had been shot, she would have heard it and David and Colby would have already been there. In the dim light she caught sight of a growing wet spot near the bottom of his vest, the warmness of the spot told her all she needed to know, "no, no, no you don't get to do this to me." Taking one of her hands she started to apply pressure to the ever expanding spot as her other hand went for the com-link. "David, we need an ambulance NOW! Eppes is down!" barely hearing David's reply she took her other hand and placed it on top of the one already on the wound, worry growing as she didn't receive a response to the pressure.

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"Well, that's one way to retire a vehicle." Colby's sarcastic comment caused a small smile to cross David's face, as they watched their surveillance vehicle burning. After just coming out of the intense fire fight they had just been involved with uninjured the comment broke the tension of the moment. The following seconds passed as both agents turned back toward the bullet riddled house, David listened to the responses back from his calling in the suspect's vehicles. As David and Colby took a step out the doorway to await backup David called into his com, "Don? Nikki? You guys okay?" It was Nikki's frantic voice that had them running toward the guest house at the rear of the property, "David, we need an ambulance NOW! Eppes is down!" David radioed for an ambulance as Colby rounded the side of the house just steps ahead of him.

"DON! Nikki what happened?!" His partners voice spoke volumes as David came around the corner to find Nikki leaning over an unresponsive Don; her hand's pressed firmly against the older Agents stomach.

"Stabbed, I was hit from behind; he was down before I got my bearings." David heard the shakiness of the rookie Agent's voice as he watched Colby strip off his jackets, placing it over Nikki's hands to help stop the blood flow.

Nikki rocked back on her heals, slipping sideways, David catching her before she fell over, "Are you hurt?" The glassy look Nikki gave him answered the question and he eased her down.

"Back of my head…" Nikki's words slurred a bit as her head injury started to catch up with her.

"Nikki! Come on, stay awake for me" David reached for the junior agent's neck as her eye's slipped shut. '_Damn it, how could this be happening?" David's mind screamed out as the ambulance pulled into the drive, LAPD close behind._

_David stepped back as medics pushed in, one on Don the other over an unconscious Nikki. He watched as Nikki started to wake, shoving at the hand of the EMT as he shined a light into her eyes. Then David's eyes drifted back to Don as Colby removed his jacket from Don's wound so a pressure bandage could be applied. More medics rounded the corner of the house pulling a gurney. "Help me get this off of him." David heard the EMT talking to Colby as the men started to unfasten the Velcro on the Kevlar vest, giving the medic access to place heart monitors on to Don's chest as well as to listen to his increasingly labored breathing. "This one needs to move now, decreased breath sounds on right side, abdominal wound, BP low, call ahead and have the trauma team standing by." Movement seemed to speed up as Don was quickly strapped to the backboard and onto the stretcher, then swiftly wheeled toward the ambulance. _

_Nikki was now sitting up, trying to argue with the EMT attempting to help her. "I'm fine, how's Don?"_

_David stopped her, "Nikki, you need to go to the hospital, you passed out…" she started to protest, but he stopped her. "Someone needs to ride with Don, I have to stay and Colby needs to try and get a hold of Don's family, please just go I'll be right behind you guys as soon as I can." Nikki must have noted the strained concern and worry in David's voice as she simply nodded and allowed the EMT to help her to the waiting ambulance, the doors slamming shut as soon as she was in, taking her and Don to the hospital. David and Colby watched as the vehicle pulled swiftly from the drive, an LAPD escort in front._

_Colby watched as David rubbed both hands over his face, blowing out a deep breath. "Colby I need to stay until another team arrives, could you please go and get Charlie and Alan and get them to the hospital?"_

_Colby put his hand on his partners shoulder, "He'll be alright." _

"_Yeah." David whispered out as he watched Colby turn heading toward Don's SUV._

_Within five minutes the Assistant Director arrived, David was surprised to see the man, who quickly informed David that he would take over the scene so David could be at the hospital when Don's family arrived. David quickly filled him in on what happened then another agent gave David a ride to the hospital where he waited for word on Don and the arrival of the Eppes family._

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_Charlie and Amita were walking back toward the house from the garage when the headlights of a familiar SUV shined up the drive, believing it was his brother, Charlie headed down the drive toward the dark vehicle, Amita close behind. Charlie stopped next to his car when it was Colby who stepped from Don's SUV, "Colby?"_

"_Charlie, where's your dad?" The exhausted expression wasn't lost on the youngest Eppes, nor was the blood on the front of Colby's shirt, where the Agent had unconsciously wiped one of his hands once the pressure bandage had replaced his jacket on Don's wound._

"_Where's Don?" Charlie felt Amita take his arm at the elbow as she seemed to be processing what was happening a step quicker than Charlie was._

"_Alan's in the kitchen" Amita answered._

_Colby stopped in front of Charlie so he knew he had the younger man's attention, "Charlie, we need to get your dad…" Blowing out a deep breath Colby continued as he started to walk toward the back door, Charlie a step behind him. "Don's been hurt Charlie, he and Nikki are on there way to the hospital now." _

_As Colby got to the back porch he took the two steps as one, quickly knocking on the back door as he pulled it open. He had been to the Eppes home enough times, that it didn't seem strange for him to just walk in the back. Alan glanced toward the door at the knock and smiled when he saw the familiar agent come through the door. "Colby, good to see you, Charlie's out in…" Alan's comments were stopped by the stranded look on the younger Agent's face, then the fearful expression his youngest son seemed to be wearing as Charlie followed Colby in the door. That's when Alan finally looked at Colby; slowly the elder Eppes stood from his place at the small table, taking in the blood on the front of Colby's shirt, "Donnie…" Alan whispered._

"_Don and Nikki are on there way to the hospital, I don't know the details, but David is meeting us there." Colby watched as Alan grabbed his sports coat off the back of the chair, then the keys from the hook near the door._

"_Take me to him." Was all Alan could say as he pushed his way past the three younger people standing in the kitchen. Colby and Charlie immediately behind, Amita locked and pulled the kitchen door closed as they each quickly made there way down the drive to the familiar SUV, with the unfamiliar driver as Colby backed from the driveway, flipping on the lights and sirens as he took off down the street._

_A/N: The episode pickups up from there, this is my explanation as to how Charlie, Alan and Amita each came running down the hall at the same time and Colby was nowhere to be seen. (He was parking the SUV and maybe changing his shirt). I don't know if an AD would show up at the scene, but with his top agent down I would think the AD would want to take some charge of the incident. I liked that we finally got a life and death episode, but I felt that they needed to include a transition scene from Don lying on the ground to the Eppes family showing up in the hospital. Hope you enjoyed this and I hope to start working on Time Squared soon, I'll be on summer break in a week and a half and hope to get the flow again. Wish me luck._

_--Montez_


	2. Chapter 2

Part 2: Don's thought in '5th man'

Disclaimer in chapter one  
A/N this is dedicated to PattyB, who suggested an insight into Don's thought during the open scenes of '5th Man'

The only thing helping me keep a clear mind at the moment was the nearly 15 years of training that has been ingrained into my very being. I have been in fire fights before, but usually with a tactical team, not just my three man team. As the gun fire erupted inside the main house my concern became securing the hostage and getting to David and Colby, silently praying they were alright. I knew from experience they could hold there own in a battle, but when it wasn't expected anything can happen.

I quickly looked out the door of the guesthouse, then with Nikki close behind we started out. Our goal was to get to the main house and backup David and Colby, that didn't go as expected at bullets started flying our way, throwing water up from the pool like a fountain. I saw Nikki duck behind a large planter next to the guest house door as I took cover behind the small poolside bar. My nerves were raw as my need to get to the other members of my team fought with my need to stay out of the line of fire

The sound of the van starting caused me to look around the side of the bar; one of the suspects was running toward the back of the open van. I ran toward the driveway and fired into the back, my hand quickly finding the com-link, "David! Colby! Their headed your way!" I yelled as I heard the loud shattering of glass, then the explosion of what I could only hope was one of our vehicles, since it was toward the front of the house. I heard David's voice come over the ear piece radioing in the description of the van, his voice stressed but controlled which told me the two men in the house were rattled but uninjured.

I focused back on Nikki who was kneeling next to one of the homeowners, "How is he?"

"He's alive," she replied, then breathlessly she added, "Uzi's, Kevlar, these guys weren't messing around."

"Yeah," was all my mind could say to her obvious understatement. "I'll call it in" I turned away from Nikki as I grabbed my phone from my belt, hitting the speed dial to call in the situation and for an ambulance. A sound behind me caused me to turn, expecting to find Nikki standing next to me, but shock was the only thing that registered as a figure a couple inches taller than me was right in front of me, '_definitely not Nikki, Where is Nikki?'_ My mind shouted out as a searing pain ripped through body. I have been shot at, beat up, but never stabbed. I was sure it was in the space just below my vest, but the pain shot through my chest and took my breath. For a moment time stood still as the blinding pain ripped any thoughts from my head and I stared into the cold, hard eyes of the man who was now holding my weight on the blade of a knife. I felt the knife as he withdrew it from my body and allowed my now useless legs to drop me to the ground.

I heard his running footsteps as he escaped, but I was useless to do anything. My breath was coming in short gasps as my mind was desperately trying to take in what had just happened and to get my body to respond to the demand I was making for it to move, to find Nikki, fearing that she was hurt as well. I laid there for what seemed like eternity until I heard the muffled curse of my junior agent, '_okay, she's alive at least'_ my thoughts told me as I tried to control my breathing, attempting to fight off the black spots that were now dancing at the edge of my vision. It was then that the distant sound of David's voice sounded in my ear, "Don? Nikki? You guys okay?"

'_Not exactly',_ my internal voice shouted as I heard Nikki say my name. My body had all but gone numb, I felt my eyes slipping closed as Nikki came, blurrily into view. I felt her hand on my neck, not understanding her muffled words; it was then that the blackness lurking around me finally claimed me.

A/N: Someone commented that Don could have been stabbed through his vest, I don't know how Kevlar works, so I went with just below the vest. I know in the show he had a collapsed lung and an artery that was nick, the abdominal wound I mentioned in the first chapter was used and I took that the man,(even though we didn't know he was former foreign military) would have thrust the blade upward, so even a wound that seemed abdominal could have been pushed upward into the chest cavity.(of course I don't know medically if this was possible, but that seems to happen in a lot of movies, so I thought why not.)

Patty B, I hope this was what you were looking for and thanks so much for the suggestion.--Montez


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